Sri Lankan murder suspect arrested attempting to cross into North

Police on Monday arrested a 26-year-old Sri Lankan man as he was allegedly attempting to flee to China by crossing the North Korean border after killing his co-worker days earlier.

The Jindo Police Precinct, located in South Jeolla, said the man was taken into custody near the border of the Civilian Control Line, a couple miles south of the demilitarized zone at 10 a.m., police said.

Military officers stationed near the line arrested the man after a surveillance camera captured him trying to jump the fences, which are intended to keep civilians away from military facilities in the area.

The arresting officers didn't know at the time that the man was being sought in connection with the killing. It was only after Cheorwon police looked through a photo album in his phone and discovered an image of a bloodied corpse that they tied him to the murder in Jindo.

Upon interrogation by Cheorwon police, the man allegedly admitted to killing his co-worker, a Sri Lankan man in his 30s, in Jindo on or around May 26, following a verbal dispute.

The police said the suspect arrived in Korea in 2019 on a three-year work visa, and has since worked at various jobs throughout the country. He arrived in Jindo after getting a job referral from his previous workplace.

After interrogating him, the Cheorwon police handed over the man to the Jindo police.

Up until this point, the Jindo police had been trying to track the suspect, but said the man had complicated their efforts by avoiding making calls on his cellphone and only using it with local wi-fi.

As a result, Jindo police were forced to rely on surveillance camera records, numbering in the hundreds, to follow the suspects’s movements.

During his journey north to Cheorwon, surveillance footage allegedly showed the suspect alternating between buses, subways and trains.

His stops included Mokpo, South Jeolla, and Pyeongtaek and Uijeongbu, both in Gyeonggi, according to police.

Jindo police officials said they are currently “weighing the evidence” and will release a statement after further investigation.

BY JIN CHANG-IL, Park JIN-HO, ANDREW LEE [lee.joongi@joongang.co.kr]